Rory Mcllroy grouped with Dustin Johnson at The Open

Rory Mcllroy will kick off his campaign at The Open at 2:48pm in the first round when he heads off to Royal Birkdale.

He has been paired with Dustin Johnson - the current world number one - for the opening two rounds of The Open, as well as the South African Charl Schwartzel.

Mcllroy comes into the tournament off the back of three missed cuts in his last four starts and will need to drastically improve his form if he is to take home the Claret Jug this year.

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Mcllroy, the 2011 US Open winner, was unable to make the cut for the competition this year, but neither was the 2016 winner Dustin Johnson, who was out due to injury, and was forced to leave Augusta much earlier than planned.

Other notable pairings include Masters champion Sergio Garcia, who has been paired with Jason Day, as well as 2015 Open champion Zach Johnson.

Stenson, who won the tournament in spectacular fashion last year, scoring a record-low Sunday score of 63 to beat Phil Mickelson, faces the former world number one Jordan Spieth and youngster Si Woo Kim in the opening two rounds.

Justin Rose is paired with 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen.

World number two Hideki Matsuyama faces a tough test against US Open champion Brooks Koepka as well as home favourite Tommy Fleetwood who won the Open de France earlier this month.

With some big names all taking part in the tournament, it promises to be an exciting few days for golf fans across the globe.

Head over to the Golf section on the GiveMeSport homepage to read about Henrik Stenson's plans for the Claret Jug, should he retain The Open title this month!

Who are YOU backing to win The Open? Let us know below!

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